VITTORIO I. CASTELLI

April 8, 1934- June 10, 2008 Dr. Vittorio Castelli, 74, known as Rino, passed away in the early morning hours of June 10, at Hudson Valley Hospital, after a short illness brought on by complications of ampullary cancer and chemotherapy treatments. Rino was much revered in his profession of mechanical engineering for his brilliance as a scientist, his charismatic personality, and his inspiring leadership. After immigrating from Italy in 1955, he earned masters and doctoral degrees from Columbia University and eventually rose to become chairman of the Mechanical Engineering Department there. He was a co-founder of the MESA research center for Xerox and devoted many years of service to that company, helping to develop color copiers, color printers, and many other products. He collected more than 70 patents and numerous awards, including the Xerox President's Award and the Columbia Engineering School Alumni Association's Egleston Medal. He designed one of the largest bearing systems ever built, for a huge NASA satellite dish receiver in the Mojave Desert. He also worked on inertial guidance gyroscopes; typewriters; high-speed spindles; rocket engine seal systems; and oil film-lubricated rock crushers. Rino was a great friend and mentor, an avid outdoorsman and gifted mountain guide. He never got lost and always predicted the weather correctly. Canoeing and skiing were among his favorite hobbies. It's hard for us to imagine a world without Rino. We will miss him very much. A wake will be held Sunday, June 15, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Clark Funeral Home, 2104 Saw Mill River Road, Yorktown Heights.